Soil-pulverizer.



J. B. HILL.

SOIL PULVERIZER.

APPLICATION I'ILED FEBJS, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

4 8HEETS8HEET 1.

Jtlongy J. B. HILL.

SOIL PULVERIZER APPLICATION FILED rmma, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Attorneys ,4 SHEETSSHEET z.

Inventor \\w l M I x Witnesses J. B. HILL.

SOIL PULVERIZER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1911.

1,006,752. Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

4 SHEETSSHEET s.

find/J27 Witnes es Atto rn evs Inventor J. B. HILL.

SOIL PULVERIZER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.13, 1911.

Patented 0c1.24,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Witnesses Inventor Attorneys mounted upon the said frame.

JAMES B. HILL, OF RACELAND, LOUISIANA.

SOIL-PULVERIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 13, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911. Serial No. 608,256.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I JAMEs B. HILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Raceland, in the parish of Lafourche and State of Louisiana,have invented a new and useful Soil-Pulverizer, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has relation to soil pulverizers and consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter describedand claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a pulverizer in the form of anattachment adapted to be applied to a frame mounted upon supporting andpropelling devices and carrying an engine with means for operatingthepulverizing element from the said engine.

Also it is the object of the invention to provide a pulverizerattachment consisting of a series of sections with means for adjustingthe sections with relation to each other and another means for raisingor lowering the gang of sections simultaneously.

This pulverizer is especially designed to be used upon reclaimed swamplands generally known as floating prairie land for the purpose ofcutting the mat of roots that usually exist just below the surface ofthe land and lifting the sections of root thus cut and depositing thesame upon the surface where they are destroyed by the action of the sun.At the same time the soil is pulverized and is in condition forsimultaneous or subsequent plant-ing.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a top plan view of thepulverizer. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the operatingparts of the pulverizer illustrating how they and the propelling membersof the supporting frame to which the pulverizer is attached areoperatively connected with the engine Fig. 5 is detail horizontalsectional View of a portion of the pulverizer.

As the frame to which the pulverizer is attached forms no part of thepresent inven tion, only so much thereof will be shown and described aswill enable those skilled in the art to have a clear understanding ofthe operation of the pulverizer.

The frame 1 is mounted upon propelling elements 2 which are preferablyin the form of apron tractions and consist of sections connectedtogether by flexible members and arranged to move about wheels 3journaled at the end of a supporting structure (not shown). The wheels 3are illustrated in the diagram in Fig. 4.

An engine 1, preferably of the hydrocarbon type is mounted upon theframe 1 and is provided upon its shaft with a. belt pulley 5. 'A shaft 6is journaled upon the frame 1 and a belt pulley 7 is mounted upon thesaid shaft 6. As compared with the pulley 5 the pulley 7 is of greaterdiameter. A shaft 8 is journaled upon the frame 1 and is provided with alarge pulley 9 and a small pulley 10. A belt 11 may be trained aroundthe pulley 9 and a pulley 13 mounted upon the shaft 6 whereby the shaft8 will be rotated at a relatively slow rate of speed or a belt 12 may betrained around the pulleys l0 and 13 whereby the said shaft 8 may berotated at a relatively fast rate of speed. A shaft 14 is journaled forrotation upon masts 15 and intermediate masts 15 which are mounted atone end of the frame 1. A relatively large pulley 16 is fixed to theshaft 14 and a relatively small pulley 17 is fixed to the shaft 8. Abelt 18 is trained around the pulleys 16 and 17 and is adapted totransmit rotary movement from the shaft 8 to the shaft 1A. Pulleys 19are mounted upon the shaft 14: and are operatively connected with thepulverizing element by means of a belt 20 as will be hereinafterexplained.

It is to be understood that chain belts and sprocket wheels may ifdesired be used throughout the entire system for transmitting movementfrom the engine to the operated parts. A shaft 21 is journaled forrotation upon the frame 1 and carries a relatively large pulley 22. Apulley 23 is fixed to the shaft 6 and a belt 21 is trained around thepulleys 22 and 23 and is adapted to transmit rotary movement from theshaft 6 to the shaft 21. Pulleys 24 are fixed to the end portions of theshaft 21 and shafts 25 are journaled for rotation at the side portionsof the frame 1. Relatively large pulleys 26 are fixed to the shafts 25and relatively small pulleys 27 are fixed to the end portions of theshaft 21. Belts 28 are trained around the pulleys 26 and 27 and areadapted to transmit rotary movement from the shaft 21 to the shafts 25.Relatively small pulleys 29 are fixed to the shafts 25 and relativelylarge pulleys 30 are fixed to the axles of the wheels 3. Belts 31 aretrained around the pulleys 29 and 30 and are adapted to transmit rotarymovement from the shafts 25 to the wheels 3 with which the 'said beltpulleys 30 are connected. Therefore it will be seen that means isprovided for rotating the wheels 3 and operating the apron tractiondevices 2 mounted thereon at a relatively slow rate of speed from theengine 4. At the same time means isprovided for operating the chain belt20 at relatively fast rate of speed from the said engine the twooperating means having their parts so arranged that the correspondinglower and upper runs of the belt 20 and the apron traction devices 2move simultaneously in the same direction.

The pulverizer includes a beam 32 which is attached to the rear portionof the frame 1 and which is passed transversely through the aprontraction devices 2 between the upper and lower runs thereof as indicatedin Fig. 1 of the drawings. Arms 33 are pivotally connected at one endwith the beam 32 and the opposite ends of the said. arms 33 areconnected together by a beam, 34 which is parallel with the beam 32.vThe arms 33 are arranged in pairs with a pair located in the vicinity ofeach end of the beams 32 and 34 the members of the pair being located atthe opposite sides of the apron traction devices 2;. Frames 35 arepivotally connected with the beam 34 at the end portion thereof and thesaid frames are spaced from each other. A frame 36 is pivotallyconnected with the intermediate portion of the beam 34 and lies at theopposite side of the said beam 34 from the side at which the frames 35lie. The frame 36 is located at the interval. or space between theframes 35. The frames35and 36 carry rotating earth engaging members andas the said members are all of the same pattern a description of onewill answer for all. Each engaging member consists of a shaft 37 whichis journaled in its respective frame and which is provided at one endwith a sprocket wheel 38 around which one of the chains 20 hereinbeforedescribed is trained. Hub members 39 are strung upon. the intermediateportions of the shafts 37 and carry blades 40 which are radiallydisposed with relation to the shafts 36 and which are arranged in gangsextending spirally along the shafts 37 as indicated in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. Booms 41 are pivotally connected to the beam 32 and guys 42;connect the outer portions of the booms 41 with the upper ends of themasts 15. The masts 15 and intermediate mast 15 are made from eye beamsand the frame 36 is provided at its inner edge with lugs 43 which passbehind the flanges of the said masts and serve as means for bracing theframe 36, against edgewise movement with relation to the masts but whichwill permit the inner portion of the said frame 36 to be swungvertically along the said masts. Hooks 43 are mounted upon the booms 41at points intermediate their ends and chains 44 are connected with theend portions of the beams 34 and are also engaged with the hooks 43 andserve as means for supporting the outer end portions of the arms 33 andthe parts carried thereby. Chains 45 are connected to the outer endportions of the frames 35 and at intermediate points. are connected withhooks 46 carried by blocks 47. Pulleys 48 are journaled in the blocks 47and pulleys 49 and 50. are journaled uponthe outer end portions of thebooms 41. WVinding drums 51 are journaled upon the masts 15- and areprovided with. operating handles 52. Cables 53 are arranged to wind uponthe drums 51 and one of the cables 53 is trained down under a pulley 54which is journaled upon the beam 32 thence passes out along one of thebooms 41 over the pulley 50 thence under the pulley 47 in the block 48thence up and over the pulley 49 thence down and is attached to the saidblock as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The other cable 53 isarrangedto wind upon the upper drum- 5L and from thence is trained upover, pulleys, 55 journaled at the upper ends of the masts 15 thencedown and over the pulley 50- at the opposite side of the apparatusfromthe pul ley 50 last above described, thence down under the pulley 46. inblock 48 thence over pulley 49 and then down and is secured to the saidblock 48 as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Therefore it will beseen that by rotating the drums 51 by using the hand wheels 52 means isprovided for raising and lowering the frames 35 upon: their pivotalconnections with the beam 34.

A shaft 56 is-jou-rnaled upon the mast 15 and is provided with a fixedhand wheel 57. Drums 58 are fixed to: the end portions of the shaft 56and cables 59 are arrangedto wind upon the said drums 58. From the drums58 the cables pass down and are trained. under pulleys 60 journaled atthe inner edge portion of the frame 36 and from the said pulleys. thesaid cables extend up and are secured to the edge portions of the masts15 as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Therefore it will be seenthat by rotating the shaft 56 and winding the cables 59 upon the drums58 the inner edge portion of the frame 36 may be swung vertically upon.the pivotal connections between the said frame and; the beam 34.

Brackets 61 are mounted upon the, end portions of the frame 36 andpulleys 62 are journaled at the upper portions of the said brackets. Thelower runs of the chains 20 which operate the soil engaging memberslocated inv the frames 35 bear upon the upper portions of the pulleys 62and also upon pulleys 63 journ-aled upon the beams 34. Thus the saidchains 20 serve to hold the frame 36 down so that its soil engagingmember will properly engage its work. Pulleys 64 are also journaled uponthe brackets 61 and the upper runs of the said chains 20 bear againstthe upper portions of the said pulleys 64. Therefore the pulleys 64 willprevent the upper runs of the chains 20 from interfering with the lowerruns thereof as the parts of the pulverizer are adjusted.

From the description it will be seen that means is provided foradjusting the inner edge portion of the frame 36 upon the beam 34. andalso means is provided for adjusting the outer edge portions of theframes 35 with relation to the said beam 34. Also by lengthening orshortening the chain 44 the beam 34 may be raised or lowered withrelation to the beam 32. As a machine having the pulverizer attachmentis moved along the surface of the ground the blades rotate in the samedirection as the Wheels which propel the machine and as they encounterthe ground they assist in propelling the machine along the surface. Byreason of the fact that the said blades 40 revolve at a much more rapidrate of speed than the propelling wheels of the machine they will enterthe soil and cut the roots therein below the surface and force the cutsections of roots to the surface of the soil where they are exposed tothe action of the sun.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. A pulverizer comprising a beam, arms pivoted tosaid beam, a beam fixed to the free ends of said arms, frames pivoted tothe last mentioned beam and lying at the opposite sides thereof, andearth engaging mem-.

bers carried by said frames.

2. A pulverizer comprising a beam, arms pivotally connected to saidbeam, a beam fixed to the free end portions of the said arms, framespivotally connected to the last mentioned beam and located at theopposite sides thereof, earth engaging members carried by the saidframes and means for raising and lowering the pivoted framesindependently of each other.

3. A pulverizer comp-rising a beam, arms pivoted to the beam, a beamfixed to the free end portions of the said arms, frames pivotallyconnected to the last mentioned beam and located at the opposite sidesthereof, soil engaging members carried by the said frames, and means forraising and lowering the said frames independently of each other and ofthe said arms.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

